Meteorologists have long been aware of the impact that large ocean currents have on the Earth's climate, but new research suggests smaller, swirling motions known as eddies can also have an impact on weather.

Scientists studying the annual growth of tiny plants in the North Atlantic Ocean have discovered that this year’s growth spurt began before the sun was able to offer the light needed to fuel the yearly phenomenon.

Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and their colleagues have discovered that massive, swirling ocean eddiesâ€”known to be up to 500 kilometers across at the surfaceâ€”can reach all the way to the ocean bottom at mid-ocean ridges, some 2,500 meters deep, transporting tiny sea creatures, chemicals, and heat from hydrothermal vents over large distances.

Hurricanes aren't the only hazards spinning up in the Gulf of Mexico -- they have a liquid counterpart in the waters below called ocean eddies. Offshore industries, such as oil and gas companies, have to keep a weather eye on both. In a worst-case scenario, they could find themselves caught between the two. Satellite altimetry is helping government and industry manage those risks.

Scientists monitoring ocean heat and circulation in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have a new understanding of how these tropical storms can gain intensity so quickly: The Gulf of Mexico's "Loop Current" is likely intensifying hurricanes that pass over eddies of warm water that spin off the main current.

Warm Eddy- is an area of water that is made up of warm water and is surrounded by areas of colder water. The north side of the Gulf Stream is a very popular place to find these types of eddies as they form when the water gets cut off from the main Gulf Stream current and just sits and spins in the colder water until it’s replaced by colder water.
Cold Eddy- is an area of water that is made up of colder water and is surrounded by areas of warmer water. The south side of the Gulf Stream is...

Image Credit: F-5 Weather Data
The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current that travels from the East Coast of Florida all the way northward along the Eastern Seaboard until it gets near North Carolina and Virginia then it starts to make its way back eastward out to sea.
The significant impact of this ocean current, as you can see in the image above, is that the waters are warm and this enhances everything from the climate along the East Coast. It will also lead to a milder winter along the...

Turbulence (or turbulent flow) is characterized by chaotic, random property changes. Turbulence occurs with low momentum diffusion (spreading of atmospheric properties), high momentum convection (vertical transference of atmospheric properties), and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in both space and time. A flow that is not turbulent is known as laminar flow. A vortex moving at low speeds will most likely cause laminar flow, and as speeds increase a transition is made to turbulent...